Woman, her three children shot dead in Guatemala

Guatemala City, Oct 20 (IANS/EFE) A woman and her three children were fatally shot in Guatemalas' eastern province of Chiquimula, police said Friday.

The quadruple-murder took place Thursday night in the municipality of Olopa, a police spokesman told the media.

Leticia Villeda, 50, son Henser and daughter Sandra - both in their early 20s - died on the spot. Another daughter, Delmy, was declared dead at a hospital in Chiquimula.

The killings appear to have occurred in the course of an armed robbery, the police said.

Three women and an eight-month-old baby were killed last Saturday at their residence in the town of Asuncion Mita, 190 km southeast of Guatemala City.

The women ran a small shop/tavern inside the home and the gunmen sat drinking beer for several minutes before they started shooting.

Seven members of a family, including two minors, were slain the same day in Villa Canales, just south of the capital. A man identified as Cesar Chavez was arrested the following day for allegedly ordering the murders in connection with a land dispute.

Guatemala saw 4,406 homicides in the first nine months of this year, down 5 percent from the same period in 2011, according to the Mutual Support Group.